Easel apparatus



1957 J. WARWICK I 2,314,142

EASEL APPARATUS Filed June 16, 1954 INVENTOR. PVkrw/c/f BY United States Patent 'Ofiiice 2,814,142 Patented Nov. 26, 1957 EASEL APPARATUS John Warwick, Livingston, N. J

Application June 16, 1954, Serial No. 437,131

3 Claims. (Cl. 41-4) The present invention relates to apparatus serving as an easel, and, more particularly, to apparatus for supporting the work on a table, desk or the like while working thereon.

Although the apparatus in accordance with this invention has general utility as a work support, it is primarily adapted for supporting the board on which a canvas is mounted having areas thereon numbered or otherwise designated to be painted a particular color by accompanying directions, whereby an artistic painting can be produced by persons having very little artistic skill. Such paintings are known as number paintings and, at present, are exceedingly popular.

In working on such paintings, a great number of colors and shades of color may be required and it is desirable to apply one color at a time to all the areas where it is required, thus keeping the color fresh and identical. This necessitates first applying the color in the uppermost areas and then working towards the bottom. When the second color is to be applied immediately thereafter in the same manner and the first color has not yet dried, great care must be taken to avoid contacting the wet paint with the hand and smearing the same. This makes the working on such paintings very exacting and tedious, and detracts from the enjoyment thereof.

Also, in so working on the painting, the canvas board is usually placed flat on a table or the like and the brush must be used without supporting hand at all or only supporting the arm by the elbow. This is very tiring on the hand, wrist and arm, whereby a person cannot work for any great length of time with the utmost exactness and efficiency.

Accordingly, the present invention aims to provide work supporting apparatus which overcomes the foregoing difficulties.

An object of the present invention is to provide such apparatus wherein the work is supported in a position to enable the person to paint in comfort.

Another object is to provide such apparatus which eliminates the likelihood of smearing wet paint and facilitates faster painting.

Another object is to provide such apparatus which enables the person to rest the wrist or the arm up to the elbow while painting and thereby prevents tiring and makes working more enjoyable, even for long periods at a time.

A further object is to provide such apparatus which is simple and sturdy in construction, is economical to manufacture and is practical and reliable in operation.

A still further object is to provide such apparatus which can be stored, when not in use, in a convenient manner.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus illustrated as normally used, with a portion of the canvas board broken away for clearness.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3-3 on Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing in detail, easel apparatus is shown which comprises a generally rectangular frame 10 and an arm rest 11, preferably used in conjunction with the frame although the frame can be used separately and the arm rest can be used in part if desired.

The frame is constructed of a pair of identical side members 12, and a pair of transverse members 14 and 15 connected to the side members 12 in the manner described hereinafter.

The side members 12 have straight top, bottom, front and back surfaces 16, 17, 18 and 19, respectively. The bottom surface 17 serves to support the frame on a table or the like and hence need not be continuous but the portions contacting the table must be in the same plane to steady the frame. The top surface 16 serves as a slide or guide for supporting the arm rest 11 and hence is smooth, straight and continuous.

The top and bottom surfaces preferably are at an angle of about ten degrees so that the top surface is inclined from the back to the front of the frame. The inner wall of the side members is formed with a groove 2t) inst below the top surface 16 which is adapted to receive the side edges of a canvas board 21 or other work to be supported by the frame. This groove is parallel to the top surface and at an angle to the bottom surface, whereby the board 21 is supported in an inclined position to facilitate working thereon. The groove extends from the back surface 19 to a point adjacent but spaced from the front surface 18 to space the lower edge 22 of the board from the front of the frame to make the lower zone of the board accessible for working thereon. The board is slid into the grooves from the back of the frame.

In the embodiment shown herein, the back surface 19 is at an angle of about eighty-five degrees to both the top and bottom surfaces whereby the side members are of generally isosceles shape. This enables the back surface 19 to serve as a base when the frame is set down in upright position, front up, with the center of gravity of the frame so located that the frame is steadily supported in this position, for example, when not in use.

While the top surfaces and the grooves are shown as being inclined to the bottom surfaces, it will be understood that they could be parallel to the bottom surfaces and yet provide for an acceptable frame which merely sacrifices the advantage supporting the work at an incline.

The cross-piece or transverse member 14 is secured on the top surfaces 16 of the side members adjacent the front surfaces. The top surface of this member is flat and smooth and serves as a wrist or arm rest depending upon the zone of the board 21 being worked upon. The other cross-piece or'tran'sverse member 15 is secured to the inner walls of the side members below the grooves between the front and back of the side members but nearer the back. The top surface of this member is aligned with the base of the grooves and serves as a transverse support for the board. This is desirable if the board is slightly bendable because bending of the board is prevented by such additional support when working thereon. While only one member 15 is shown, it will be understood that two or more may be utilized, if desired.

The arm rest 11 comprises a pair of flat sided rigid strips or slats 24, the ends of which extend across the top surfaces 16 for sliding movement thereon and outwardly beyond the side members 12, and a pair of links 25 of equal length connecting the respective ends of the slats in parallelogram arrangement. As shown herein,

the links are stiff wire members having a body section 26 and depending legs 27 at right angles thereto which extend into holes 28 adjacent the ends of the slats in a manner to facilitate insertion and removal thereof. Preferably, the legs 27 extend through the holes 28 a slight distance so that they are adapted to contact the outer walls of the side members and prevent the arm rest from sliding off or being displaced from the side members 12.

While this arrangement is sufficient when thearm rest is used in its entirety, the present invention contemplates using the slats individually under certain conditions. For example, while working on the lower zone of the board 21, it may be desirable to use only one of the slats in conjunction with the cross-piece 14. Also, while working on the side zones, it may be desirable to place one slat adjacent. the back of the side members and place the other slat across the sameand the member 14. Under such conditions of use, the links are removed and the legs 27 thereof are not present to hold the slats captive. This deficiency is overcome by inserting sleeves 29 into the holes which have a flange 30 at the top contacting the top of the slats and have their lower end projecting beyond the bottom of the slats to function like the legs 27, These sleeves may be inserted loosely into the holes, but preferably are force fitted to retain the same in the holes and prevent loss thereof. The sleeves serve the additional function of acting as a bearing for the legs 27 and preventing wear of the holes.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides novel and useful easel apparatus which enables persons to work faster, neater and more efficiently While resting the arm and wrist without any danger of accidently smearing the work, thus greatly increasing the enjoyment of their work and furthering its accomplishment.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In painting apparatus, the combination of a work supporting frame structure comprising a pair of parallel side members having upper and lower surfaces diverging from the front to the back of the frame structure and each having a groove at its inner side in alignment with the other and substantially parallel to and spaced from said upper surface and extending from the back and terminating short of the front of the frame structure, said grooves being adapted to receive the work and support the same within the frame structure, a cross-piece having its ends secured to the inner sides of said side members between their ends and having its upper edge in alignment with the lower side of said grooves to provide additional support for the work received by said grooves, and a second cross-piece secured at its ends onto the upper surface of said side members at the front of the frame structure to provide an arm rest and a carrying handle,

said side members and said cross-pieces being arranged to provide frame structure having an open top, bottom and back; and a hand and arm rest device comprising a pair of spaced apart strips of greater length than the distance between the outer sides of said side members slidably supported on the upper surface of said side members and each having an aperture extending downwardly therethrough at each end thereof, and a pair of links having a leg at each end thereof extending through one of said apertures and depending from said strips to cooperate With the outer sides of said side members to limit the extent of sidewise movement of said device with respect to said frame structure.

2. Painting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said hand and arm rest device includes a sleeve extending through each of said apertures and depending from said strips for receiving said legs and having a flange resting on the upper surface of said strips.

3. In painting apparatus, the combination of a work supporting frame structure comprising a pair of parallel side members having upper and lower surfaces diverging from the front to the back of the frame structure and each having a groove at its inner side in alignment with the other and substantially parallel to and spaced from said upper surface and extending from the back and terminating short of the front of the frame structure, said grooves being adapted to receive the work and support the same within the frame structure, a cross-piece having its ends secured to the inner sides of said side members between their ends and having its upper edge in alignment with the lower side of said grooves to provide additional support for the work received by said grooves, and a second cross-piece secured at its ends onto the upper surface of said side members at the front of the frame structure to provide an arm rest and a carrying handle, said side members and said cross-pieces being arranged to provide frame structure having an open top, bottom and back; and a hand and arm rest device comprising strip means of greater length than the distance between the outer side of said side members slidably supported on the upper surface of said side members and having means at each end thereof extending downwardly therefrom to cooperate with the outer sides of said side members to limit the extent of sidewise movement of said device with respect to said frame structure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7,617 Forbush Sept. 3, 850 179,362 Slade June 27, 1876 692,794 Morley Feb. 4-, 1902 1,577,056 Bjork Mar. 16, 1926 2,008,386 Carlson July 16, 1935 2,187,574 Nigra Ian. 16, 1940 2,414,606 Page Jan. 21, 1947 2,439,346 Nash Apr. 6, 194-8 2,496,276 Dolas Feb. 7, 1950 

